The present invention relates to a device for retaining a towel on a chair, such as a beach chair, such that the towel is maintained in place on a chair even in windy conditions.
An age-old problem in relaxing at the beach or at poolside is in maintaining a sufficient level of comfort to allow such an outing to be relaxing. Various types of chairs appropriate for the beach or the pool, such as chaise lounges, upright chairs, and so on, are formed from a metal, wood, or plastic frame and include a number of rubber or plastic straps, or cloth or fiber mesh, which act to support the weight of the individual in a relaxing position for reading, listening to music, or sunbathing. Because these chairs are typically left outside, exposed to the elements, the materials used to make the chairs are the most resilient rather than the most comfortable.
However, if such chairs are left in the sun, they may become uncomfortably hot. Alternatively, a person may be wet or covered in sand from the beach and may wish to protect the chair against these elements. Consequently, a large beach towel is often placed upon the chair, which provides some measure of comfort for the wet or sandy individual and protection for the chair.
For meteorological reasons well known in the art, beaches are subject to wind of significant strength, such that a towel not held in place by a body may be easily blown from the chair and lost or soiled. Moreover, natural movement of the individual while sitting or lying on the towel, as well as gravity, may cause the towel to become dislodged and the chair to be made uncomfortable.
What is needed, therefore, is a device which serves to retain the towel in place on the chair, even if high winds are present or the individual using the chair moves frequently.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide for a means by which a towel may be retained on a beach chair or a similar chair.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide for additional comfort in using the chair by providing a head rest for the individual using the chair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a secure and hidden location for ID cards, credit cards, access devices such as key cards of the type typically used by hotels for room access, folded paper money, keys, and the like, so that a person may secure those items while at the beach or the pool without keeping them on his person, but keeping them out of view and out of a beach bag, purse, or other container where a thief would be most likely to look.
In accordance with these and other objects of the present invention, the present invention provides for a device for retaining a towel on a chair. The device generally includes a pillow member and a strap member connected to the pillow member. The pillow member includes a back portion, which serves as a location for connecting the strap thereto, and a front portion, which provides for a headrest for the individual sitting in the chair. The strap member is preferably formed of an elastic material and is an essentially continuous loop that is attached to the pillow at a first connection location at an edge of the back of the pillow member. The strap member is stretchable to encircle the chair and preferably includes just enough material so that the elastic return action of the strap holds the strap taut against the chair, thereby likewise exerting a retaining force on a towel placed between the chair and the strap.
The present invention also makes use of the connection between the strap and the pillow to form a retaining location or a xe2x80x9cflat item hidingxe2x80x9d location between the strap member and the back of the pillow that is suitable for holding an identification card, a credit card, a key card (such as those of the type typically used for electronic access to hotel rooms), one or more folded bills of paper money, or the like. Because the strap member is connected across the back of the pillow member, when the invention is in place on a chair with a towel, any items retained in the retaining location are hidden from ready public view.